Revelation: - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

modern Turkey), shown on page 24, and see where John was, on the island of
Patmos (1:9), and notice the location in order of the churches to which are
addressed the letters of chapters 2-3, we can get a better idea of what John had
in mind. As we see, beginning with Ephesus, which was the chief city of the
Roman province of Asia, he has made a rough circle of the leading cities of this
same province in which, tradition tells us, he spent his last years. It was natural
for him to address himself to the churches which he knew best in intending a
book for the entire Church at large. Also, as we shall see, each of the churches
which he chose has its own particular characteristics which make it an apt sub -
ject for conveying part of John’s message.
John begins (1:1-3) by setting forth his revelation as delivered by Jesus
Christ concerning things which must shortly come to pass. As we have already
explained, the rest of the Apocalypse will make plain what these things are,
namely the triumph of the Church of Jesus Christ in the face of persecution. In
v. 3 occurs the first of seven “beatitudes” (the others are in 14:13, 16:15, 19:9,
23:7, and 23:14) which are scattered through out the book. Once more John em -
phasizes, as he is to do frequently, that the time is at hand for this revelation to
be fulfilled.
Literary Influences
In 1:4-8 John extends a greeting to the “seven churches” much in the
manner of the beginnings of Paul’s Epistles. It might be noted that of all the
New Testament writers John is most dependent on Paul – grace be to you and
peace is the usual Pauline salutation, and the title firstborn of the dead given to
Christ in v. 5 is from Colossians 1:18. Note that in vv. 4-6 John brings in the
Holy Trinity, which also gives another example of how he uses “seven” to mean
a single complete unity. The greeting is from him who is and who was and who
is coming, that is, from God the Father, John’s free adaptation to the purposes
of the Apocalypse of the divine title given in Exodus 3:14, from the seven spirits
who are before his throne, which from 4:5 and 5:6 evidently means the Holy
Spirit (the “sevenfold” idea is borrowed from Isaiah 11:2); and from Jesus Christ
who made us a kingdom, and priests, that is, who established a new covenant
(“king dom” and “priests” are the words used for Israel in Ezekiel 19:6 and
Psalm 114:2).
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